European security officials say a terror plot to wage a Mumbai-style shooting spree in Britain, France and Germany is still a threat and authorities are monitoring sites in Pakistan where the threat originated.

France is facing a "peak" terror threat, and authorities suspect al-Qaeda's North African affiliate of plotting a conventional bomb attack on a crowded target, the national police chief said Wednesday.

A broken alarm system made it as easy as 1-2-3: A masked intruder clipped a padlock, smashed a window and stole a Picasso, a Matisse and three other masterpieces from a Paris museum a $123 million haul that is one of the world's biggest art heists.